NEWARK, NJ—Two individuals were apprehended on Tuesday morning for their alleged involvement in illegally exporting an aviation device to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced that Fadi Nammas, 43, of Fairfax, Virginia, and Tara Jamhour, 24, of Rockaway, New Jersey, face charges related to the unlawful export and smuggling of an Air Data Inertial Reference Unit (ADIRU).
The arrests followed investigations revealing that from November 2023 to March 2024, Nammas and Jamhour, operating under the company Star Aero in New Jersey, procured the ADIRU—a device critical for providing flight data to pilots—from a Vermont-based company. The defendants reportedly misrepresented the purpose of the purchase, claiming it was for inventory purposes while planning to send it to a company in the UAE without the necessary U.S. government authorization.
Both accused failed to obtain the required licenses for shipping the ADIRU, which is controlled under U.S. export laws for missile technology and anti-terrorism. They allegedly repackaged and shipped the device with falsified documentation to undervalue and misdescribe the item.
Nammas made his initial court appearance on July 2, 2024, in the Eastern District of Virginia, with further hearings scheduled for the following day. Jamhour appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jessica S. Allen in Newark and was released on a $100,000 unsecured bond.
The charges include conspiracy to export and smuggle goods, unlawful export of controlled goods, and smuggling, with potential penalties ranging from five to twenty years in prison and fines up to $1 million. The ongoing case underscores the seriousness of violating U.S. export regulations, particularly those involving sensitive technology.